Dark Destinies
by KuroNeko
Summary: COMPLETE!!! A Buffy/Harry Potter crossover but probably not what you think. Rupert Giles gets caught up in the worst conflict the Wizarding world has ever known.
1. Something Odd

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Title: Dark Destinies

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Author: KuroNeko

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Distribution: Email me!

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Rating: G

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Feedback: Constructive criticism welcomed; flames happily ignored

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Notes: This story takes place when Giles is still 10 and pondering his future as a Watcher. Yes, I'm screwing around with timelines a bit. Just bear with me. 

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Disclaimer: Any characters who aren't mine specifically belong to their respective creators, Whedon and Rowling. Grrrrr, arrgh.

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Chapter 1

"Giles?"

"Giles?"

"Mr. Rupert Giles!"

The young boy looked up, staring at the large woman who was calling his name. "Y-yes, Mrs., er, Robins?" he stammered. A lingering snigger rose from the rest of the class. Rupert clenched his teeth desperately as he tried to hide an old, leather-bound book from the teacher. Mrs. Robins squinted at Rupert's frantic motions, then swooped her flabby arm down to grab the book. Rupert's eyes widened. "No, Mrs. Robins. It's my, it's my father's" 

Mrs. Robins lifted her reading glasses from where they hung around her neck and placed them on. "_The Slayers Handbook_," she read_. "'Chapter the First, Informing Your Chosen One that She is the Chosen One'_? What sort of rubbish is this, Mr. Giles?"

"It's notrubbish, Mrs. Robins. I've told you. It's, it's my father's," Rupert said, trying to keep his gaze away from the folds in Mrs. Robins's neck. They always seemed to sway rhythmically when she got angry. "I, he, gave it to me for my birthday. I was justlooking at it"

Mrs. Robins flipped through the book. "Weaponry? Wooden stakes? Swords? Battleaxes? Mr. Giles, this isn't appropriate reading for a ten year old boy! I'll have to take it."

"But" 

"And you have detention after class, with the Headmaster," Mrs. Robins said in a clipped tone as she made her lumbering way back to her desk. She locked the book in her detention drawer, along with other confiscated goods. "In all my years of teaching, I have never seen such trash printed in a book."

"Mrs., Mrs. Robins?" Rupert squeaked.

"You're in no position to talk, Mr. Giles."

"I'm to meet my father after school today. It's very important. An appointment that I must keep. I can't, I can't have detention," Rupert pleaded.

"Well, Mr. Giles," Mrs. Robins said. "You should have thought of that before bringing such, such filth into my classroom."

"Yes, ma'am," Rupert said softly.

"Now class. Open your books, your math books, to page seventy-five and do the first two sections."

As Rupert pulled out a pencil and paper, he pondered what to tell his father. He had to call him, inform him that he wouldn't be able to come to the Council. Rupert rolled the pencil round and round in his small fingers, then, in a fit of sudden violence, he snapped the pencil in half. 

"Mr. Giles, you're already in trouble. Are you attempting to add to it?" Mrs. Robins said.

"No, Mrs. Robins," Rupert sighed as he reached into his desk for another pencil. Once again, he was reminded of why he didn't want to become a teacher. Too many annoying children to look after.

"And you may use the school phone to ring up your father, tell him why you can't make your appointment. Here's a note," Mrs. Robins waved the small piece of paper in Rupert's direction. Take this to the office, and they'll let you use the phone."

Rupert stood up and walked slowly towards Mrs. Robins' desk. "Thank you," he said automatically before leaving the room.

"Dad? It's Rupert. Can you hear me? Well, sort of. I can't make it to" Rupert paused, realizing that one of the secretaries was right behind him, monitoring his use of the school's only phone. "to my appointment this afternoon. Why? I, er, I got detention. Yes. Yes, I know it's important, butMrs. Robins caught me reading the Handbook. It's in her desk now. I couldn't help it, Dad. It was interesting! No, I haven't gotten to _Chapter the Seventeenth_ yet. What's that? You can do that? Really?" Rupert turned to the secretary. "Um, my father wants to speak to the Headmaster. Can he?"

The young secretary nodded quickly. "I'll get him," she said as she made her way down the corridor to Mr. Doranel's office. 

"Yes, yes, no one's listening in now, Dad. I'm sorry, Dad. But you told me, you told me that if I were to become a WatcherWould we be able to get another Handbook from the Council? They don't give back the stuff they've taken until the end of term! Oh, here comes Headmaster Doranel," Rupert said as he saw the Headmaster coming towards him. "I'll give the phone to him now."  
  
"Miss Keene, would you please leave us? I need to have some privacy," Headmaster Doranel said. As soon as he was sure that the secretary was out of sight, he took the receiver from Rupert's hand. "Hello, Stephen. Haven't heard from you in a while. Yes, young Rupert's still here with me. What? Detention? Oh, reading the Handbook in class. I see," he stared at Rupert. "Well, if it's the boy's first meeting with the Council, I'll see what I can do," he held the receiver out to Rupert. "Like to say a few more words to your father, Mr. Giles?"

Rupert nodded and took the receiver. "Dad, I'm really really sorry about all this trouble. Well, it's a bit much for a boy to handle, don't you think? Learning that vampires and magic and demons are real? Right, right, see you after school then. Bye" he hung up the phone. "Headmaster, I didn't know you"

"were a Watcher? There are more of us about than you think, Mr. Giles," Doranel said. "I figured that your father would tell you sooner or later. You've got the talent to become a great Watcher. You're clever, but a bit rash. Best to keep that anger of yours in check."

"Sir, do you have a Slayer in your charge?" Rupert asked.

"No," Doranel said. "But I think there might be one in this very school. She's not called until the current one dies, of course, but I've seen potential. Oh, yes, much potential."

"And about detention?"

"Oh, right, I'll just write a note, saying that your appointment is of the utmost urgency, which it is. Who knows, Mr. Giles, perhaps you might be the Chosen One's Watcher someday."

"I hope not," Rupert groaned. "I can't stand them."

"Can't stand what?"

"Teenagers."

"And the bit where you tore off the Sarrok demon's horn! You were marvelous, Dad!" Rupert jumped around, hardly containing his excitement. "Why didn't you tell me that this is what Watchers do? It's bloody marvelous!"

"Language, Rupert, please. You weren't raised in a livery stable," Stephen Giles replied to his son. 

"Sorry, but you wereyou were fantastic! And the other Watchers chanting the spell to close that hell portal. Woah! I can't wait to start my training now!"

"It's not fun and games, son," Stephen said. "Being a Watcher takes discipline, intelligence, and patience. Before you can chant spells, you've got to know what they mean. You'll be studying ancient languages, cultures; you'll know more about the history of this world than anyone else in your class." Stephen opened the door to their modest home. "Get in, son, Mum'll have supper ready for us."

Rupert ran through the door, still giddy from witnessing his first encounter with the supernatural.  


"Rupie!" a young voice squeaked below him.

Rupert winched at the sound of the voice. "Hullo, little Petunia," he droned.

"Not little!" Petunia Evans grumbled. "Almost three!"

"Bloody wonderful for you," Rupert replied, trying to keep his cousin Petunia from pulling his pants down. The little girl clung to him incessantly.

Margeret Giles clucked at her son. "Rupert, such language! Have you said hi to your Auntie Iris yet?"

Rupert shook his head. 

"She's in the sitting room, with your new cousin!"

"Oh! She's brought the baby?" Rupert grinned widely. He liked babies, until they grew up to be toddlers, like Petunia. Rupert entered the sitting room, where his Aunt Iris awaited. "Hullo, Auntie Iris," said Rupert, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Hello, Rupert. My, you're growing up to be a very smart young man," Iris Evans said in her quiet tone of voice. "Would you like to meet your new cousin?"

"Yes, yes please!" Rupert sidled up next to Iris, eyeing the tiny bundle in his aunt's capable arms. "Is it a boy or girl?" 

"It's a girl," Iris replied. "And her name is Lily."

"Hullo, Lily," Rupert said as gently as he could. "I'm, I'm your cousin Rupert."  
  
"Wanna play, now!" Petunia whined as she stomped into the sitting room. "Rupie, come play!"

"Petunia's jealous of Lily, isn't she?" Rupert asked, wincing at Petunia's high-pitched squeak of a voice.

"Yes,' Iris replied. "But she must get over it. It won't do for sisters to fight." 

"Lily's beautiful," Rupert whispered. "I mean, she's just a baby, but still, she's beautiful."

"Play NOW!" Petunia yelled as she grabbed at Rupert's shirt. 

"Ow! Get off!" Rupert shouted.

"Petunia! Stop bothering your cousin Rupert. Sit quietly over there," Iris said. "He'll play with you soon. After he finishes meeting Lily."

"It's all right, Aunt Iris. I'll play with Petunia," Rupert said, resigned to his fate as maligned toy for his mad little cousin. He slid off the couch and walked over to Petunia. "Horses?"

"Horses!" Petunia exclaimed happily, scrambling up on Rupert's back.

Rupert had a sudden thought of chanting open a hell portal and leaving Petunia there for the demons, but then Petunia grabbed at his hair and pulled hard.

"Go, now!" Petunia ordered.

Rupert gave his best impression of a whinny and trotted about the room on all fours with Petunia giggling happily on his back. Suddenly, tiny Lily awoke from her nap and began to cry.

"Quiet! Quiet! My play! Mine!" Petunia leapt off Rupert's back and rushed over to where her mother was comforting Lily. "Mummy, stop her noise! Stop her noise!"

"All your laughing must have woken her up," Iris said. "It's all right, sweetie. Hush, hush, Mummy's here," she chanted, rocking the baby in her arms. "Nothing to be frightened about."

Rupert got up from his horse-posture and went over to Iris. "Will she be all right?"

"She'll be fine, Rupert," Iris grinned. "Babies cry. It's the only way they can tell us what's on their minds."

"Stop! Stop the noise!" Petunia yelled at the top of her lungs, which made Lily wail even louder.

"Petunia, YOU should stop. YOU'RE the one who's frightening Lily," Rupert said. "Babies don't like to be frightened."

"Not fair!" Petunia grumbled. "Not fair, not fair, not fair!" She kept tugging on her pigtails, as if to pull them straight off.

Suddenly, Rupert witnessed something extraordinary. One moment, Petunia was throwing one of her usual tantrums. The next moment, Petunia's pigtails were stuffed in her mouth. Rupert didn't see her place them in her mouth. They just sort of "floated" there on their own. Well, it did manage to keep her quiet for a time. 

"Supper's ready!" Margeret announced from the kitchen. 

"Yes, Mum!" Rupert answered as the rest of the family filed out of the sitting room. He watched Petunia remove the pigtails from her mouth. She seemed too stunned to scream and walked in a daze behind her mother. Rupert wondered about what would cause Petunia's hair to behave like that, and he made a decision to ask his father about it later tonight, after the Evans's went home. 


	2. Discoveries

**Title**: Dark Destinies

**Author**: KuroNeko

**Distribution**: Email me!

**Rating**: G

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism welcomed; flames happily ignored

**Notes**: This story takes place when Giles is still 10 and pondering his future as a Watcher. Yes, I'm screwing around with timelines a bit. Just bear with me. 

**Disclaimer**: Any characters who aren't mine specifically belong to their respective creators, Whedon and Rowling. Grrrrr, arrgh.

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Chapter 2

"Dad, there's something I want to ask you," Rupert stood in the doorway of his father's small library. "Busy?"

Rupert's father shut the ancient book which lay on his desk. "Never too busy for you, Rupert. I was just doing a little research. What's on your mind?"

"Is it possible to enchant any object with a spell?" Rupert asked.

"I suppose it is, Rupert," Stephen answered after a moment's thought. "The Council's in possession of quite a few magical objects. Orbs, amulets, books, that sort of thing."

"So anything can be enchanted?" Rupert added. "Even, say, a hairclip?"

"If the spell's powerful enough. Where are you going with this question?"

"When I was playing with Petunia"

"Getting manhandled by her, you mean," Stephen chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose that's more accurate," Rupert grinned. "Anyway, Lily started to cry because Petunia was making such a din."  
  
"And?"

"And Petunia's pigtails stoppered up her gob like a cork. Who could've enchanted her hairclips to do that, Dad?"

"And Lily was upset?" Stephen asked.

"Terribly upset."

"Hmmm."

"I'm not too fond of that **Hmmm**, Dad. What's that mean?"

"You remember this afternoon when the Sarrok demon was banished through the portal?"

"How could I forget? That was fantastic!" Rupert couldn't help but grin as he recalled the moment.

"It took eight Watchers to control that portal." Stephen drew a long breath. "An Auror could've closed that portal easily."

"Aur-auror?" Rupert repeated, his mouth stumbling on the new word. "Are there other members of the Council besides Watchers?"

"Not exactly," Stephen stood up from his desk and started to search the shelves. "An Auror is someone who investigates and stops dark magic." He pulled a large book from its place on a shelf. "You'd better read this. It'd explain everything better than I can."

Rupert took the book in his hands. "_The Watcher's Guide to the Wizarding World_," he read. "And this'll tell me what Aurors do?"

"And much else."

"And it'd explain why Petunia's pigtails ended up in her mouth?" asked Rupert hopefully.

"Perhaps, if my suspicions about Lily are true."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Oh, and Rupert?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't bring that book to school. I won't be able to get another one," Stephen said, chuckling.

Rupert winced a little, but shared in his father's soft chuckle. "Right, Dad."

* * *

Rupert carried to book up to his room. He lay stomach-down on his bed and opened the cracked cover. 

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All Watchers are versed in the use of magic spells in order to combat the forces of darkness. It has not been unusual for the Slayer to rely on spells from time to time as well. Man's way is to attempt to tap into these magical forces through the use of chants or appeals to the gods. Anyone can learn how to do these spells; these spells are still the backbone of what we do as Watchers. However, there are some humans who are naturally gifted at magic. They do not need to appeal to ancient gods to do their bidding. The world knows these men and women as wizards and witches.

The wizarding world calls non-magical humans, Muggles, and the term is used indescriminantly. A Wiccan who has mastered the conjuring of the dark arts would still be a Muggle in the eyes of wizards. Innate magical talent is the main difference between Muggles and wizards. The talent may manifest itself in unusual ways. Since their power is not channeled or controlled, a young wizard or witch might cause magical things to happen without realizing it. If a wizard child is scared or angry, odd things could happen around him, usually to the thing or person that is upsetting him.

"Lily," Rupert said out loud. "Lily's a witch?"

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Here in Britain, especially talented wizard children are sent at age eleven to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, they learn how to control their magical powers, developing them into fully useful talents.

Rupert flipped through a few pages, searching for the term 'Auror." He stopped when his eyes caught it:

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Auror: a wizard who tracks down and defeats Dark Wizards. This is the closest wizarding equivalent to the Watchers in the Magic World. Over the centuries, Aurors and Watchers have developed a close working relationship, since the Magic and Muggle worlds frequently overlap. 

Rupert stayed up half the night skimming through the pages of the book. When he woke the next morning, he found that he had drooled all over the chapter heading titled: _A Concise History of Hogwarts_.

"Bloody hell," he murmurred. "Dad'll be furious." He wiped the sticky substance off with the back of his sleeve. "Hope it'll dry" he sighed, wafting the page back and forth intently. 

"Rupert!" his mother's voice pierced the quiet morning. "Breakfast!"

"All right, Mum!" he yelled as he scrambled up out of bed. He shut the book and left it on his bed as he frantically combed his hair into a more presentable shape. 

"Rupert! It'll get cold!"

"I'm coming!" Rupert said, hurrying down the stairs. "Morning, Mum," he said automatically as he entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Morning, Dad."

"How much have you read, son?" Stephen asked.

"Most of it. You suspect that Lily's a witch?"

"Lily's a witch?" Margeret repeated from her place at the stove. "I thought you needed to know how to chant out spells and things to be a witch."

"Not a Wiccan, Mum," Rupert said. "A real, magical witch!"

"There's a difference, Megs, I told you before," Stephen sighed. "Anyway, yes, I suspect that Lily may be a witch."

"But she's only a few days old!" Rupert exclaimed. "Can she have such, such powerful magic within her when she's so young?"

"Magical power is innate," Stephen said, cupping his hand for emphasis. "It lives in the soul when the child is born. Sometimes it might manifest itself quite early, like in Lily's case. Other times, a child may be born to Wizard parents but have no powers to show for it."

"A Muggle born to Wizards? Soundsrare."

"It is rare, Rupert," Stephen said. "There's only been three cases in recorded Wizard history of a completely non-magic child with Wizards as both parents. It's much more common when one of the parents is a Muggle."

"But what about Lily?" Rupert asked. "Her parents are Muggles."

"It's odd, but it's common to have Wizards born to Muggles," Stephen explained. "It usually means that the Muggles have Wizard ancestors. The Magic and Muggle worlds seperated once we began to rely on science, and many wizards and witches went into hiding, living as Muggles. I wouldn't be surprised if half the families of Britain discovered a Wizard in their family trees somewhere." 

"So if Lily's good enough" Rupert trailed off.

"She'll be invited to attend Hogwarts someday," Stephen finished.

Rupert's mum slid the fried eggs onto Rupert's plate. "Hurry and eat before it gets cold. You'll be late for school." She then scurried back to the stove.

Rupert smothered his toast with marmalade and took a huge bite out of it. "So, Dad, about these Aurors"

"Would you like to meet one?" asked Stephen as he sipped at his coffee.

"You personally know an Auror?" Rupert's eyes grew wide. A real live wizard!

"To be accurate, the Council does," said Stephen.

"What's his name?" Rupert asked.

"Claudius Rayne," Stephen said.

"He sounds old. Well, his namemakes himsound old," said Rupert.

"He's old by Auror standards," Stephen explained. "Fighting Dark Wizards makes death an occupational hazard for Aurors."

"Watchers too, I suspect," murmurred Rupert. He didn't want his mother to overhear.

Rupert's father seemed to ignore his son's comment. "But Rayne's worked with us for a long time. I think he'd like to meet you. Yes. I'll have to discuss Lily with him as well. I'll have to send an owl to him."

"An owl?" Rupert asked, intrigued.

"Wizards communicate with each other by sending messages via owls," said Stephen. "The Council has a small Owlry for that purpose. I must do that the next time I stop by."

Rupert picked up his fork and shoveled a heap of eggs into his mouth. "Dad," he said, his mouth full of egg.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Stephen sighed. "You know better than that."

Rupert chewed quickly and swallowed hard. "Sorry, but when d'you think I can start my training?"

"Soon as you'd like," Stephen said as he perused the newspaper.

"Brilliant!" Rupert said. "What do I learn first?"

"First off," Stephen said, "You must learn never to interrupt an Englishman when he's reading the _Times_."

"Oh" Rupert said quietly, not knowing if his father was joking or not. That always bothered Rupert. One moment his father was all smiles, the next, all business. Rupert wished that his father would just pick a personality and stick with it. "Dad, what would you say if I told you I wanted to be a fighter pilot?" he asked, smirking.

"Hmmmm?" Stephen mumbled. "You're a Watcher. Like your father. Can't be anything else."

"Not even a grocer?" Rupert said, grinning at his own private joke.

"Watcher," said Stephen. "You could have another job, of course, but your destiny is the same as mine, and your gran's."

"Well, why don't I just be a boring old librarian, then?" asked Rupert.

"Good, that'll keep you close to your books. A Watcher's best weapon is knowledge, after all," Stephen said.

Rupert groaned under his breath and took another bite out of his toast. Perhaps being a Watcher wouldn't be too fun after all.


	3. Prophesies

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 'cos the Ripper's in here :) 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Here we have teen-aged Giles. His relationship with his father is deteriorating as his Watcher training is growing more intense. 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh.   


**Chapter 3**

"Rayne!" Sixteen-year old Rupert Giles exclaimed helplessly. "I'm surrounded!" He curled up his fists, and began to pummel the creatures who were attacking him. But deep inside, he knew that he'd never be able to overpower this large group of vampires. "A stake! Hurry!" He opened his right hand in the direction of the Auror. 

"Ferula!" Claudius Rayne exclaimed, waving his wand with a neat flourish. 

Rupert's hand suddenly enclosed around a thick but short wooden rod, which was pointed at one end. He quickly plunged the stake into the hearts of two vampires, which allowed him to get away from the hoard. "Now!" 

Rayne began to chant something under his breath. Wooden stakes materialized in mid-air around the vampires. With another flourish of his wand, Rayne sent all the stakes to their targets, and the vampires exploded into dust. 

"I think that's the last of them," Rupert said. "I lured them from their nest." 

"That was foolish, Rupert," Rayne grumbled. "You could've gotten killed. And where's your stake? I know I conjured one up for you." 

"I dropped it while I was running. Didn't seem as important as getting away." 

Rayne gave a frustrated grunt as they both walked down the quiet streets of Romania. "What would your father say?" 

"I think I'm what's called, an 'acceptable loss.' Rupert replied, with no humor in his voice. 

"Your father entrusted me with your life. He knew that sooner or later, you'd have to face vampires, and I'm one of the only Aurors with close ties to the Council. If you'd have gotten killed..." 

"But I didn't, that's the important thing," Rupert said. "And what's the big deal if I die anyway? Another Watcher would take my place in the Council. I'm expendable, like the Slayer. D'you know what the lads at school call me? _Ripper_. They know that everywhere I go, someone or something **dies**." 

"Never!" Rayne yelled, turning on Rupert. "Never talk about life like that! Your life is a precious gift, your destiny is to combat the forces of darkness. One less soldier, and we of the Light mourn!" 

"All right, all right. I'm sorry," Rupert said, not sounding apologetic at all. "Christ, if I'd known you'd react like this, I would've just waited for **you** to drive those vampires out of their nest." 

"Come along, Giles," Rayne mumbled. "I'll Floo Powder you home." 

* * *

"Sloppy," Stephen frowned at his son's scribblings. "You didn't use the text I asked you to, did you?" 

"But I know Sumerian!" Rupert said. "I didn't need the extra text to translate that..." 

"Son, prophesies are very delicate things," he crinkled up the notepage and flung it into the fireplace. It flashed brightly, then turned dark and fell into ashes. "One mistranslated word, one switched-round syllable, and that could change the meaning entirely. Why, I could tell you about the time I..." 

Rupert stood in front of his seated father, fuming inwardly. "Dad, I don't care about prophesies, or evil, or good, whatever the hell we're supposed to be fighting. I'm tired of all this! It doesn't work! We, we fight and fight against the darkness and it still pushes back. It's not, it's not right." 

"We're not fighting to win, Rupert," Stephen said slowly. "We're fighting to ensure the balance. Evil pushes, we push back. We'll **never** vanquish the darkness. That's not what we're here for." 

"Then what's the bloody **point** if we can't win? Like, say, some lads jump me at school. I beat 'em down and they don't come back to bother me. That's what it's supposed to be like!" 

"I hate that you're using your training to bully your schoolmates," Stephen said, shaking his head. 

"Yeah, but I got all my O-levels," said Rupert, beaming. 

"Yes, which means you shouldn't be running around with toughs! You'll be going to Oxford soon and..." 

"Who says I'll be going to Oxford?" Rupert frowned. "After I graduate, I'm going backpacking across Europe, maybe join a rock band..." 

Stephen gave his son a hard, unforgiving stare. "It won't work, you know." 

"What won't work?" 

"Trying to escape your destiny as a Watcher. Believe me, when your gran told me, I was just like you. I hated it all, the training, the learning, the extra work. D'you know what I wanted to be?" 

"Should I care?" Rupert sneered. 

"When I was your age, I wanted to be a doctor, wanted to help people with their physical problems; Heal them. Then your gran told me that what we're doing is far, far grander than any other calling. This is a ancient battle we're fighting, Rupert, and our side needs all the soldiers it can muster." 

"And another thing," Rupert said. "It doesn't help when Claudius Rayne treats me like I'm a bloody **child**! I think he expects me to shatter to pieces whenever we go patrolling somewhere, like i'm a china doll or something." 

"I admit he sometimes acts, overprotective, of you," Stephen said. "It's only because he lost his **own** son, you know." 

"No, I didn't know that," Rupert said. 

"You told me you read all the books I gave you." 

"All right, so I skimmed through most of them. What does it matter?" asked Rupert. 

"It matters, Rupert," Stephen said. "Claudius Rayne and his wife are both powerful wizards. They'd have to be; they're both Aurors. They had a son. He was thoroughly Muggle. No magic within him at all. In fact, he'd be about your age about now...if he had lived." 

Rupert's back stiffened. "What happened to their son?" 

"No one's sure," Stephen said quietly. "He disappeared when he was around ten years old. Of course, they used all sorts of finding spells and charms to try and locate him, but they couldn't. Everyone assumes that he died. Only the most powerful dark magic would be able to shield the boy from Aurors, and no one in the wizarding world's **that** strong. No one." 

"What was his name?" 

"Ethan," Stephen replied. "But you would have **known** that **if** you had read the books. I want you to try translating the prophesy again. It's hard going, but it'll click in your head. I promise." 

Rupert skulked off. It all wasn't fair. At first, he thought that being a Watcher was fun. He got to witness the defeat of so many demons and evil wizards, but there were other things he hated. The study, for one. He had twice the homework of any other lad his age, and he never got to see his friends. When he **did** ask to spend time with them, they'd scoff, saying that they didn't want to be seen with _Ripper_ in their midsts. 

Ripper. Was it his fault that his clothes were often stained with blood? He'd tried to explain that the blood was demon blood, but no one would listen. Just evil Ripper going around killing off things. Then they said that he seemed old, ancient beyond his years. Rupert had seen too much of the darkness of the world, the darkness that he was destined to fight. He was destined to train the Slayer--as all Watchers are--but who actually **was** the Slayer? Claudius Rayne had never seen her, but the Auror was sure that she lived somewhere in east Asia. Rupert couldn't imagine taking care of another person. He entered his room and stared hard at the ancient books lying on his desk. He growled softly, hating the books, hating the things they described, and, worst of all, hating himself for disappointing his father. He shoved the books off of his desk, satisfied with the clattering thuds they made as they hit the floor. 

"Bloody prophesies," he whispered out loud. 

One of the books had fell open. 

"Oh, great, I suppose this is one of those destiny things too?" he sighed as he stared at the open page, the page that his father asked him to translate. He picked the book up and placed it on his desk again. Then he searched the floor for the text his dad asked him to use as reference. "Here it is," he mumbled. "So, then, how the hell did I get it wrong?" 

It took him three hours but he finished the prophesy to his own satisfaction. No wonder his dad noticed his sloppy work. Rupert didn't translate it properly. He stared at the notepad and his scribbled writings on it. 

_The Snake with no name but his own shall rise_   
_and it will devour all in its path_   
_But the Child shall stop him_   
_And the Child shall be marked..._

"No, not marked," Rupert mumbled, scratching the word out with his pen. 

_And the Child shall be scarred forever_   
_with a bolt from the heavens_

"There, that's what the bloody thing meant!" Rupert said excitedly to himself. He pondered sharing this news with his father, but then he decided not to. "No point in getting him upset again, if I got this wrong." For some strange reason, Rupert became transfixed by one line in the prophesy. 

_And the Child shall be scarred forever_

He didn't know why the line fascinated him. All he knew was that there was something strangely familiar about it, as if this was something he was meant to know. He shook off the weird feeling and plopped the notepad on his desk. As he got ready for bed, he wondered about the prophesy again, and about the one line that sat churning in the pit of his stomach. 

Why did it bother him so? It was only a prophesy, and prophecies weren't the most reliable things in the world. 

But still... 

Rupert turned the line over and over in his mind as he drifted off to sleep. 


	4. Dark Marks

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG-13; more Ripper action! 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Uh-oh, Giles is 19, at Oxford, and not liking it. Spoilers for _The Dark Age_.I know I keep changing the rating for this fic. I just haven't realized how dark Ripper can get yet. 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh.   


**Chapter 4**

Rupert Giles stared at the marks on his exams, as if hoping that the numbers would switch themselves around somehow. 

He'd failed. 

His first year at Oxford, and he'd failed his exams. He couldn't return home, not with these marks hanging over his head. His parents were so proud when he got accepted, and he had promised his father that he'd work hard and take all the classes that he'd need as a Watcher. 

But that was before he'd had the smallest taste of freedom. 

When living under his parents' roof, he also lived under their influence. He couldn't bear to see the hurt look on Mum's face whenever he came home with a note saying that he'd been fighting. His Dad always gave him some ancient scroll to translate to keep him busy. 

But now he was away from home, and their influence on him slipped away. He shirked classes so he could hitchhike to London for the week. There, he met more interesting people than he ever did before. 

Most of all, there was Diedre Page. 

Diedre worked as an airline hostess. She traveled all over the world and visited exotic places, something Rupert found fascinating but Diedre found frightfully dull. She said she only became one because her mother was one, but when Rupert said that he wanted to become a fighter pilot (the RAF scrapped him when his eyesight suddenly began to go bad), Diedre thought she had found a kindred spirit. 

It didn't matter that the only air traveling Rupert really went on was by Floo Powder. This was just a girl and easily impressed. Girls liked dangerous men, Rupert discovered. He never told Diedre his real name. To her, and to everyone else he met in London, he was Ripper. 

"Well, Ripper, looks like you'll be staying on in London permanently," he whispered to himself. "They're not going to let you stay next term, not with these marks, so," he said, opening the closet of his small dorming room, "Ripper's got to move on." He hummed softly to himself as he began to pack. 

* * *

Diedre Page jumped when she heard the sudden knocking on the door of her tiny apartment. Gathering her bathrobe aroud herself, she made her way to the front door. She peeked through the hole. "Ripper!" she exclaimed. "Hang on a bit, must unlock these latches." 

"Hello, Diedre," Ripper smiled as Diedre opened the door. "Mind if I come in?" 

"Of course not! Come in, come in!" Diedre waved him inside. 

"I missed you," Ripper said. 

"Where were you? You always disappear for a few days; no address, no phone," Diedre sounded upset. 

"Hush, luv. I'm here now, that's what counts. I need a place to sleep for a few," Ripper said as he sprawled on the couch, dropping his backpack on the carpeted floor. 

Erm, all right," Diedre said. "You can have the couch, like always." 

"Diedre, when will you realize that it's not the couch I want?" Ripper asked. 

"What?" 

"I don't want your couch. I want your bed." 

"But...where would I sleep?" 

"Silly, silly girl," Ripper drawled softly. 

Diedre blushed. "But Ripper..." 

"You needn't be frightened of me, Diedre. I'm quite gentle," Ripper said. 

"Hmmmm," Diedre murmurred. "Yes, I've seen how gentle you are. Shoving people out of the way, punching them to the ground if they have something you want, and always running before the Bobbies come." 

Ripper stood up in front of Diedre. "Oh, Diedre. I assure you that I've never hurt a woman...deliberately." He tugged on the sash on Diedre's robe, then let her robe fall down around her ankles. She just stood there in her underwear. Ripper took her hands in his, but then he noticed something odd on her arm. "What's this? A tattoo?" 

Diedre pulled her hands out of Ripper's reach and hurriedly put her robe back on again. "I-it's nothing, Ripper." 

"A tattoo isn't **nothing**!" Ripper growled. "How **dare** you mark your body like this?" He grabbed her arm, pulling up the sleeve of the robe so that he could see it. 

"Ripper, you're hurting me," Diedre said. 

"Who did this to you?" Ripper yelled. 

"This bloke, I met him in Italy. He's English, but he's been there for a long long time, he says." 

Ripper let go of Diedre's arm. "All right, so what does it mean?" 

"It's Etruscan in origin." 

"Yes, I bloody well **know** that, Diedre," Ripper said in clipped tones. "I could tell you the derivation of hundreds of Etruscan symbols, but why the **hell** do you have a symbol from a dead civilization on your arm?" 

"He told me not to tell anyone!" 

"I'm not anyone! I'm **Ripper**." 

Diedre shook with fear. Here in front of her was the Ripper she knew. He seethed with rage, not just anger, but primal, animalistic rage. She had no doubt as to why he took on that name. "It's the Mark of Eyghon." 

Ripper blinked as the Watcher in him rattled off facts in his head: Eyghon is a demon who possesses the bodies of the unconscious and the dead so that it would have a tangible form in this reality. "Tell me more about this Eyghon," Ripper asked Diedre. 

"Like I said, I met this young man in Italy. Around our age. Anyhow, he said he was a powerful sorcerer. I said I didn't believe him. I mean, he's barely nineteen and he claims to be able to contact the dark forces. So he brings me to his flat, and he asks me if I want to feel the ultimate high." 

"And you said yes." 

"He made this mark on my forearm. Then we dropped acid and had to sit in some marked circle while he conjured up the demon. And when Eyghon possessed me, yes, I felt ultimate power. Like I was standing high atop a mountain, and all these little humans were below me, vermin. It didn't matter. I was a demon. I was a god! I vaguely remember doing things, horrible things, but they're so far away, it's like I didn't really do them at all." 

Ripper stared down at the tattoo on Diedre's arm again. "Ultimate power? The power of a demon?" 

Diedre nodded silently. 

"Tell me, d'you know if you could get in touch with this sorcerer again?"   
  



	5. Epiphany

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG-13; more Ripper action! 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: So Ripper's 21 and he's been doing the Eyghon thing for a couple of years now. What got him to stop? 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 5**

When Ripper regained consciousness, he was vaguely aware of where he was. He lay on the small balcony of Diedre's flat, and the busy sounds of early morning London traffic wafted up to him from the streets below. 

Ripper knew that Eyghon killed again. 

It killed while using his body. Ripper could tell. There was a slight tinge of metallic flavor in his mouth from the blood of Eyghon's victim. Who was it this time? A child? An old man? Did the victim have family? Friends? What'sa matter, Ripper? Feeling remorse now? That's not going to bring these people back. 

Ripper groaned as he tried to move. His whole body felt like someone had scraped his insides raw with a Brillo pad. 

But the scariest thing was: Ripper wanted to get Eyghon back in his body as soon as possible. He was hopelessly addicted to the rush of mad power, of just doing whatever the hell he felt like. He sighed and managed to sit up. 

Then a small owl flew up to the balcony and dropped something on his lap. The owl glided onto the railing of the balcony and sat there, watching Ripper intently. 

Ripper stared at the owl, and the owl stared right back. It seemed to be surprised to see him there, as is he wasn't where he was meant to be. It also seemed to be waiting for something. Bleary-eyed and without his glasses, Ripper somehow managed to open the small envelope that the owl had given him. 

_Dear Rupert,___

_I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. You never call or write, but Mum says people at Oxford are quite busy, so I suppose I shall have to forgive you. Guess what? I got accepted at Hogwarts! It's a pity that I can't tell everyone I know, but Mum and Dad said that since you're a Watcher, it's safe to tell you. Petunia is rather jealous, I think, but I hope she'll get over it soon.___

_I sent this letter with my owl. His name's Horace and he's a nervous little thing. Please send a reply with him, even if it's only a few words. I can't wait to hear from you!___

_Love always,_   
_your cousin Lily_

Ripper stared at the name. Lily. That name seemed a lifetime ago. He searched his pockets for a pencil, found one (to his imminent surprise) and scribbled a short note on the back of Lily's letter. 

_Dearest Lily,___

_Owl caught me at a bad time. Congratulations! Will write more later.___

_Love,_   
_Rupert_

He rolled up the paper into a scroll and gave it to Horace. "Bring this back to Lily," he said, shocked at how hoarse his voice sounded. He watched as the owl flew away out of sight. He went back inside the flat, rubbing his head with his hands as he searched the apartment for Ethan, Diedre, and Thomas. The others didn't join them for the ritual last night. It took Ripper a while to figure out why the flat was so quiet. Everyone had gone. 

His feet slid on something slippery and when he looked down at what he was standing in, he let out a small gasp of horror. There, lying before him, was the body of Thomas Watkinson. Tom had been ripped apart by powerful claws and something feasted on his innards. Blood pooled in a dark brown mass around the body, and Ripper stood right in the center of the carnage and didn't realize it. 

Oh, dear God, Ripper thought. I did this. Oh, God, Oh God Oh God... 

"So, you finally woke up. I wondered when you would. The others fled when Eyghon started to use Tom as a midnight snack, but I stayed," Ethan slid out of a hallway. 

"You," Ripper grunted. "How could I have been so blind?" 

"Forgetful, is the more correct term," Ethan said. "I put a simple forgetting spell on you so you'd not remember who I actually am. I knew it would wear off...eventually." 

"How did you know that I'd know about you?" 

"Are you joking?" Ethan laughed bitterly. "You have _Watcher_ written all over you! You **stink** of self-righteousness." 

Ripper watched Ethan's every move. Here, in front of him, was Claudius Rayne's missing son, the Muggle born to wizards. "Why'd you run away?" 

"Wouldn't you? A Muggle, born to wizards? I had to rely on my parents for everything. It's impossible to live in the Magic world when you have no magic in your soul! Then, of course, I met someone who taught me that I **could** channel magic." He lifted his arm, showing off his Mark. But it was subtly different from the Marks the others bore on their arms. In fact, Ripper thought it looked more like a skull and snake than the Mark of Eyghon. "My Master's symbol, the Dark Mark. He said I was first, the first of what he hopes will be many." 

"Your Master?" Ripper muttered. "Your Master would favor a Muggle like you..." 

"My Lord has offered me power!" Ethan hissed. "He has taught **me**, a mere **Muggle**, the deepest secrets of the Dark Arts. Imagine what he plans on doing for the rest of the world. You've had just a taste of his power. Imagine feeling like that, all the time!" 

"I killed Tom," Ripper murmurred. 

"A...trifle," Ethan smirked. He muttered a spell under his breath, and Tom's body, including the dried blood on the floors and walls, disappeared without a trace. "Power, my dear Ripper. Power is what makes us want to live!" 

Ripper remembered the small joy he felt when he read that Lily had been accepted to Hogwarts. "There must be more to life that that. There are little pieces of happiness amid the sorrow. Perhaps that's what makes life worth living." 

"Has Ripper gone Romantic?" Ethan sniggered. "If you join me in worshipping my Master..." 

"Get out," Ripper growled. 

Ethan stared at Ripper but did nothing. 

"Get out before I throw you out." 

Ethan stood his ground. Ripper bellowed and rushed towards the young sorcerer. Ethan meant to summon up a barrier but he was too slow. Ripper pushed Ethan to the floor, and he began to punch and kick him over and over and over. Ethan then muttered something which caused Ripper to fly off him and into the nearest wall. "Temper, temper, Ripper. I should mention," Ethan grinned as he spat out blood, "That anger of yours will be the death of you someday." 

"Get out of my sight," Ripper whispered, leaning on the wall. "If I ever see you again, I'll pummel you within a fraction of your life." 

"Fine," Ethan said, standing up. "If you will not join my Lord in his quest, then consider you and your family his enemies! Voldemort will destroy all who stand in his way!" He hurried out of Diedre's flat. 

Ripper groaned and slid down the wall, clutching his insides in pain. He lay on the floor, writhing. He knew at that moment that he had to return to his studies at Oxford. He had to become a Watcher. He couldn't run away from his destiny any longer. 

Not when his family was in danger. 


	6. Riddles

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Thanks for all the positive feedback so far! Anyway, I re-watched _The Dark Age_ recently and found out I misremembered some of the facts about Rupert's younger days. Oh, well, explanation forthcoming because I'm too lazy to rewrite what happened. :) Although I might change it back if I rework this story. 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 6**

Rupert sighed heavily, his ears still ringing from the "I told you so" lecture his father gave him a few hours ago by phone. Rupert finished unpacking and glanced around his small dorming room at Oxford. So he was back. And serious about study for once. He was pleased that his father had pulled some strings to get him re-enrolled in university, but then Stephen Giles confessed that he was only doing that because Rupert needed a history background as a Watcher. 

Rupert didn't dare tell his father the entire truth of what happened during the past two years. His small circle of friends met one last time to corroborate their stories. They all agreed never to bring the subject up again, and, if pushed, to lie. Thomas Watkinson had disappeared off the face of the Earth thanks to Ethan's spell, so there were no charges brought up against any of them. Instead, they agreed to invent a "victim": Randall, who was consumed by Eyghon while possessed by him. 

Rupert sighed again, and he knew that he couldn't tell his friends the entire truth about Ethan's past. This Lord Voldemort seemed extremely powerful, and extremely manipulative. Rupert was sure that Ethan would end up getting killed by that dark wizard, no matter how loyal he'd be. 

Suddenly, Horace swept through the open window and dropped an envelope on Rupert. 

"Er, thank you," Rupert said to the small owl. "Another letter from Lily?" 

Horace perched on the nearest chair, seemingly ignoring the question. 

Rupert flipped the envelope open and read its contents: 

_Dearest Rupert,_

_Hope Horace doesn't get lost trying to find you again. Well, here I am at Hogwarts! I've already made a few friends, and the girls in my dorming room are really nice. I got sorted into Gryffindor. Dunno why. The Sorting Hat said that Gryffindor is for the brave ones, and I don't think I'm brave at all! There was this lad I met on the train (I think his name was James) who reminded me of you. He had glasses and messy hair like yours! He got sorted into Gryffindor too. He was already making friends on the train. I can't remember the names of his other friends. I think one of them was Sirius (odd name!) and another was Peter. There was this nervous-looking lad named Remus on the train too. He seemed so scared to be going to Hogwarts, but I told him that everything will be fine. That seemed to cheer him up a bit. Anyhow, please write back soon. Horace will probably wait for your reply._

_Love always,_   
_Lily_

The small letter made Rupert smile slightly. He nodded over to Horace. "Stay right there. I'll have to scribble out a, another letter." He searched his desk for a notebook and pen, and started to write. 

_Dear Lily,_

_Congratulations on getting sorted into Gryffindor. Many famous wizards and witches came from that House. And I think you're very brave. You met a lad who reminded you of me? I'm not sure why, but that scares me a bit! Just joking. I'm glad you're making friends so quickly. Be sure to keep them. Friends are important. As for me, I'm still at stuffy-old Oxford studying stuffy-old history. Perhaps someday you'll be an Auror so that you and I can battle dark forces together?_

Rupert suddenly remembered his encounter with Ethan and the mention of Lord Voldemort. Ethan vowed revenge against Rupert and his family, which meant that Lily would also be in grave danger. But Hogwarts was the safest place in the Wizarding world, especially with Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster. 

_Please be wary of the Slytherins. They're a part of Hogwarts, but every bad wizard in my books came from that House._

Rupert reminded himself to go look up Voldemort in Hogwarts' old enrollment records. 

_Please write back soon. I believe Horace already knows the way between Hogwarts and Oxford._

_All my love,_   
_Stuffy-old Rupert_

He slipped his letter in an envelope, addressed it as best he could, and gave it to Horace. "This goes back to Lily," he said. 

Without a sound, Horace took off and flew out the open window. Rupert watched as the owl disappeared over the ancient buildings of his college. Then Rupert grabbed his nearest book, A History of House Slytherin. With more than a little apprehension (as the snake on the cover chose the most inopportune times to slither out of the book) Rupert began to research Voldemort. 

And found nothing. 

No mention of Voldemort. 

The only thing Rupert found of interest was the mention of the Heir of Slytherin, a mythical figure in Wizard lore who was meant to be a descendant of the House's founder, Salazar Slytherin. The Heir supposedly has the ability to open the Chamber of Secrets, which would rid Hogwarts of all who were deemed unworthy to use magic: the Muggle-born wizards. 

Ethan had said, "Lord Voldemort will destroy all who stand in his way." Was Voldemort the Heir of Slytherin? 

"Are you going to get back in the book or am I going to have to stuff you back in there?" he asked the tiny snake. 

The snake seemed to roll its eyes and slithered quickly back into the cover of the book. 

"Right," Rupert said. "Stay there. I need to go to the Council headquarters and look up this Voldemort." Talking to snakes. Rupert, he thought to himself, you're going mad. 

* * *

He arrived at the Watchers' Council Headquarters and hurried up the steps. He nodded to the secretary and made his way to the extensive Watchers Library. Perhaps he'd be able to find out who Voldemort is from one of the unique books the Council had in its possession. 

His eyes were suddenly drawn to the most oddly-dressed man he'd ever seen. At first, Rupert thought that the man was on his way to a masquerade party. But then he recognized the long hair and beard as belonging to the Headmaster at Hogwarts: Albus Dumbledore. 

"Oh," Rupert said. "Good-er-good day to you, Professor Dumbledore." 

Dumbledore greeted Rupert with a friendly grin. "Hello. You must be Rupert Giles." 

"Yes, but, how did you know...?" 

"All Lily talks about is you," Dumbledore said. "I must say, I've never seen a student so...infatuated with an older man before." 

"Um, er, infatuated?" Rupert suddenly fell into his old childhood habit of stuttering when nervous. "But-but, we're **cousins**." 

"Now, now, Giles," Dumbledore said. "There's nothing wrong with a little hero-worship now and then." 

"Well, I suppose not," Rupert agreed. "But why are you here?" 

"To see you, actually," Dumbledore said. "I come bearing terrible news. You do remember Claudius Rayne, correct?" 

"Yes, he was the Auror assigned to my Watcher training. What's wrong with him? Is he ill?" 

"Worse," Dumbledore said. "He's dead." 

Rupert's eyes widened. "Dead? But-but-but he was so careful! What killed him? A vampire? Demon? Monster?" 

"A Dark Wizard," Dumbledore said. "Rayne and his wife were killed by a most unspeakable curse, the Killing Curse. It is the deepest of evil magic. It causes instant death and untold suffering on the victim." 

Rupert tried to speak, but all that came out of his mouth was the word "who". 

"That is why I am here," Dumbledore answered. "You knew Rayne best. Do you recall anyone who might be powerful enough in the Dark Arts to summon up such an Unforgivable curse?" 

Rupert knew that he had to tell the truth. There was no way around it, and he had a gut feeling that Ethan and Voldemort were behind the death of the Raynes. "I befriended Ethan Rayne," he said. 

"Ah, that explains much," Dumbledore said, with no hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

"Ethan isn't dead," Rupert continued. "He was sought out by a Dark Wizard, was taught how to summon spells even though he was a Muggle. He cast a forgetting spell on me so I wouldn't remember who he was. He knew I was a Watcher. He knew that I wanted to shirk my destiny, and we did it, together. I think, I think his Master **wanted** me to stay on the Dark Side. I knew I couldn't, not after Lily shared such wonderful news with me, and not after one of my friends died because of the Dark magic." 

"Tell me, Giles," Dumbledore said. "What was this Dark Wizard's name?" 

"Lord Voldemort," answered Rupert. "Does that name mean anything to you?" 

"No," Dumbledore said. He seemed lost in thought for a long while, so long that Rupert began to think Dumbledore might have fallen asleep standing up. Suddenly, Dumbledore's eyes fluttered open and he muttered, "Of course. Are you fond of word games, Giles?" 

"Word, games, well, yes, I suppose." 

"Ah! Then tell me," Dumbledore said. "What happens when you rearrange the letters of the phrase 'I am Lord Voldemort'?" 

Rupert shrugged. "I'll have to scribble it out on some paper." 

Dumbledore conjured up a scroll and handed it to Rupert. Rupert took the scroll and fished out a pen from his shirt pocket. After using up most of the space on the scroll, Rupert finally figured out some actual words. 

"The only words I found that make sense so far are 'Tom' and 'riddle'," Rupert said. "I've no idea what these other letters are supposed to be." 

"Tom Riddle is sufficient," Dumbledore said. "It explains much to me, and the name will explain much to you. Good day." Dumbledore then headed out of the library, leaving Rupert alone with the multiple floors of books. 

Rupert found Tom Riddle in the annals of Hogwarts alumni. Rupert delved further into the history of Riddle's family and found out that Riddle was a half-blood. His mother was a full-blooded witch and his father was a Muggle. His father abandoned his wife when he found out that she was a witch, and his mother died giving birth to him. Riddle was raised in a Muggle orphanage, never knowing his real family. When he was whisked away to Hogwarts, he excelled in all things academic. He was Sorted into Slytherin, but he never stirred up any trouble or broke the rules, unlike the mischievous students of Gryffindor. In fact, some professors wondered why Riddle was Sorted into Slytherin, since his studious nature was much more suited to Ravenclaw. After graduating from Hogwarts, Riddle apparently disappeared without a trace. There was no mention of Riddle in any of the more recent Wizarding books. 

"So," Rupert said out loud. "You wanted to shirk off your destiny too, eh? Not content in being a 'good' wizard, seduced by the power that the Dark offered. Hmmmm, I know the feeling... Pity, you were too weak to break free of it." He signed out a few books from the library and made his way to the train station, hurrying to catch the train back to Oxford. 


	7. Joinings

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Woo-hoo, yay, this fic is speeding along. I'm not sure if this is set in an AU because Giles will go on and do all those Gile-ly things that we know him for on the show. I'm leaving everything from the show "as is" and just playing around with the parts of Giles' life that weren't shown on TV. Giles has been working at the British Museum for a while now, probably over a year. 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 7**

"Lily!" exclaimed Rupert, startled by the sudden appearance of his 18 year old cousin in his office at the British Museum. Well, to call it an office would have been very kind. It was basically a small corner of the Acquisitions floor of the Museum's Pre-history section. 

"Hi, Rupert!" Lily's bright green eyes were dancing as she looked at her older cousin. "Like that spell? It's called Apparition. I'm one of the few in my class who can do it! It's very difficult..." 

"I'm...very proud of you, Lily," Rupert grinned, hugging his cousin. "What brings you here? You still have a few weeks of the school term to go before you graduate. Shouldn't you be studying?" 

"I came to visit you. The rest of the school are at Hogsmeade anyhow and I wanted to see you," Lily said, walking slowly around the ancient artifacts that Rupert had to catalog. "What's this?" she asked as she picked up an old dagger. 

"It's an Aztec ceremonial disembowling knife," Rupert said. "They would sacrifice a virgin to their gods by slashing her innards out." 

Lily gingerly put the dagger down. "Urgh, how dreadful." 

"Oh, it's not so bad. Certainly not as bad as some of the things you had to learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts, hmmm?" Rupert said. 

Lily shook her head quickly, sitting in the nearest chair instead of exploring the floor. 

Rupert frowned. "Lily, what is it? There's...there's something you wish to tell me..." 

"Oh, Rupert. I'm engaged!" 

Rupert blinked a few times and then took off his glasses to clean them. "Ah..." he said, unsure of what to actually say. "Con-congratulations! It isn't that Potter lad, is it?" 

Lily stood up and stared right into Rupert's eyes. "And what's wrong with James?" 

"Well, you've...you've written to me about all that mischief he and his friends get into. Erm, becoming Animagi without Ministry of Magic authorization is a very serious offense! And...calling themselves the Marauders, as if they're...they're pirates or some such nonsense," Rupert said. 

"Rupert," Lily said. "It wasn't so long ago that **you** had gotten into some serious mischief yourself. Besides, I love James." 

"Yes, yes, love's a good enough reason...I suppose. When's the wedding?" 

"We're planning on a small ceremony," Lily said quickly. "Nothing fancy. And I want you to give me away. You know, Dad passed on a few years ago and I just thought it'd be right to have you there in the ceremony. You've always been like a brother to me." 

"Of...of course..." Rupert replied. "I'd be honored." 

Lily hugged her cousin tightly. "Thank you, Rupert! You don't know how much this will mean for the both of us! Horace will arrive with the date and location later on. We're planning for some time after graduation." 

* * *

A few weeks later, Rupert received an invitation by regular old Muggle mail. The envelope announced the imminent wedding of Petunia Marie Evans to Vernon Dursley. Unfortunately, Petunia seemed to have chosen the same date as Lily and James' wedding. Since Lily had asked Rupert first, Rupert felt obliged to attend her wedding instead. He regretfully sent his refusal (or so he wrote) to Petunia, saying that he needed to go supervise an archaelogical dig in the Tigris-Euphrates river valley. Petunia never wrote back, but this didn't bother Rupert a great deal. Petunia still had the habit of throwing a tantrum in front of Rupert when she didn't get her way, and Rupert doubted that she'd act any differently. 

The location that Lily and James gave wasn't of the actual wedding area. It was just the directions to the Portkey which would transport anyone who touched it to the area. Protecting this particular Portkey was tricky. Since Rupert was a Muggle, the Portkey couldn't have a Muggle-repelling charm cast on it. James finally discovered that a lock of Rupert's hair was enough to alter the charm to allow Rupert through. 

On the day of the wedding, people living in the countryside an hour outside of London might have been shocked by a most amazing sight. There was a man in a tuxedo roaming around the grass, seemingly looking for something hidden on the ground. The people would have gone closer to the man to ask him why he was there, but they suddenly remembered an important appointment they had to go to and left the man alone. 

Rupert, meanwhile, finally found the Portkey. It was a beaten-up construction helmet. He touched it and was immediately whisked away to the site of the wedding. It was outdoors, with a canopy magically weaved out of the branches of nearby trees. Rupert nodded to the best man, Sirius Black, and then took his place next to Lily. As Rupert looked around, he felt horribly underdressed. Almost everyone else in the small wedding party had fancy robes, even Lily. Rupert was the only one in Muggle clothing. 

"You didn't tell me it was going to be a Wizard ceremony," he whispered to Lily. 

"You look fine!" Lily said. "I don't think anyone will care what you're wearing. You're **my** cousin and my guest." 

Rupert nodded, even though he felt his cheeks begin to burn in embarassment. "Who's officiating?" 

Lily gave Rupert a wink. "You'll see..." 

Rupert didn't have to wait long because suddenly, standing at the end of the aisle, was Albus Dumbledore. He waved merrily to everyone and then took out his wand. 

"Now, then," Dumbledore said. "Some appropriate music." He waved his wand and _The Wedding March_ started to flow into everyone's ears. 

Rupert offered his arm to Lily. "Here we go then." 

Lily slipped her arm in Rupert's, and they began to slowly march towards the end of the aisle where James stood with Dumbledore and Sirius. Rupert scanned the tiny gathering, noticing friends of James and Lily, and his Aunt Iris (Lily's mother) who was bawling appropriately. Rupert suddenly wondered how they had gotten Aunt Iris to the area as well. Perhaps they used a different Portkey for her. Before he could work out the problem in great detail, he and Lily had already reached Dumbledore. 

"Who gives the bride away?" Dumbledore asked after another flourish of his wand stopped the music. 

"Her mother and I do," replied Rupert. He gently removed his arm from Lily's and took his place on the side next to Sirius. 

While the ceremony was going on, Rupert couldn't help but be lost in his thoughts. During the vows, he thought about his own experiences with women, which were never that wonderful to begin with. He wondered if he'd ever find someone he truly loved, like Lily loved James. He knew that Watchers could wed, but he didn't know any women who were strong enough to accept his "line of work." Women like his mother seemed very rare. At least, Rupert hadn't been able to find one who came close. 

By the time he brought himself back to what was happening around him, the ceremony was over. Dumbledore and a few other wizards sent bright sparks up into the air with their wands as James and Lily kissed. Rupert, not having a wand or a firework spell, simply clapped.   
  



	8. Warnings

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Ok, a couple of things in this one. First off, I deeply apologize for not getting this thing continued earlier. I'm a college student, and unfortunately, the classes come first. :) Also, for reference to dates and characters, I'm using The Harry Potter Lexicon http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/>, which doesn't seem to have any gigantic errors in it. If it's not in there, and not in Buffy, then I made it up! 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 8**

Rupert, his hands full with groceries, sprang up the steps to his tiny London flat when he heard the phone ringing. "Hang on a bit!" he muttered under his breath, trying to will the other person on the line to stay on. "Just a bit..." He set his bundles carefully on the floor of the corridor and started to fumble with his keys. As soon as he shoved himself through the door, he grabbed at the receiver and picked it up. "Hello?" 

"Rupert Giles?" the voice, distorted and tinny, said into Rupert's ear. 

"Yes, I'm Rupert Giles." 

"I'm not sure if you'll remember me," the voice continued. "I'm...an old acquaintance. A friend of a friend, if you will..." 

Rupert quickly scanned his memories in an attempt to match up the odd, inhuman-sounding voice with a face. "I'm terribly sorry, but, I can't...I can't seem to remember who you are. If you'd just give me a little hint or clue...?" 

"You are in danger, Rupert Giles," the voice said in a frightening monotone. "You and your family are in great danger." 

Rupert stiffened, pressing the receiver hard against his ear. "Who is this?" 

"I know you. You care for your family very much. Flee England, if you wish to live." 

The line went dead. 

"Hello? Hello?" Rupert said futilly into the receiver. "Damn!" he exclaimed, throwing the reciever back onto its cradle. He stumbled into the nearest chair and stared at the telephone. Who had actually called, and why? Rupert tried to remember the many cases of the supernatural he had already investigated as a Watcher. Demons, poltergiests, zombies, vampires. No, none of these would actually care if a human died. There were cases of humans with psychic powers. A few actually worked with the Council as advisors. Did a fellow Watcher, with precognitive abilities, call and try to warn him about some upcoming event? Or did someone from his past have inside knowledge of the danger? 

"Mr. Giles?" 

Rupert shook himself out of his meditative posture and turned around. A small, elderly woman stood in the doorway of the flat. Rupert had forgotten to close the door when he answered the phone. "Oh, Mrs. Curtis. It's you." 

"You've forgotten your groceries in the corridor again," Mrs. Curtis said, with all the gentleness of a mother. "You know, you really should get a ladyfriend," she said as she picked up the bags and carried them through the door. 

Rupert stood up and rushed towards the doorway. "You-you don't have to help me with these," he said. 

"Nonsense! I've done the same thing for over 40 years. A few minutes won't hurt..." Mrs. Curtis said as she brought the last of the groceries into the flat. "There we are." 

"Thank you," Rupert said, genuinely grateful. "There's been....I've had much on my mind recently." 

"Must be hard, working among all those relics from the past," Mrs. Curtis said. "But you do enjoy it, don't you, Mr. Giles?" 

"Hmmmm? Oh, yes, very much." 

"Well, I'll leave you now. I left the kettle on and you know how cross Mr. Curtis gets when he doesn't get his tea exactly at 4," she glanced around the flat, making sure everything was in its proper place. "Good day, Mr. Giles." 

"Good day," Rupert said, smiling. 

As soon as Mrs. Curtis shut the door, Rupert sank down into the chair again. He took his glasses off and began to rub his tired eyes. He turned the question over and over in his mind: Why would anyone want him dead? 

The phone rang once again. Rupert eyed the receiver then cautiously picked it up. "Hello?" 

"Giles, it's Quentin Travers. There's something the Council needs you to do." 

"Uh, yes, of course," Rupert said. "What is it?" 

"There's been a murder. We believe some sort of sorcery was involved. Bring your spellbooks. I'll be sending Cable along as well." 

"Mick Cable?" Rupert asked. Cable was the Council's resident demon forensics expert. Show him a murder scene, and he could tell you what sort of demon killed the victim. "Alright, give me the address..." Rupert said, picking up a pencil. As he scribbled the address down on a piece of paper, he began to plan out which spellbooks might be needed. 

* * *

"'Evening, Giles," Mick Cable said as Rupert arrived. 

"Mick," Rupert said, nodding in greeting to the fellow Watcher. "So, this is the murder scene." 

"Aye, door's closed but unlocked. Let's get in there." 

"Dear Lord!" Rupert exclaimed as they pushed their way in. He fished out a kerchief from his coat pocket and placed it over his nose and mouth. 

"That's a Ko'raff demon for you," Mick Cable replied. "The stench of death follows it around, no matter were it goes. Those things are scavengers, feeding on carcasses and then moving on when they're done. They don't kill. They get rid of evidence. It's perfect. Ah, here are the bodies...what's left of 'em anyway." 

Rupert sidled over to the corner of the small front parlor where the victims lay sprawled. There was nothing left except their skeletons. The bones were picked clean of flesh. 

"So, these unfortunates," Rupert said as he pointed to the skeletons. "were dead before that demon got here?" 

"Fraid so," Cable said. 

"Who or what killed them then?" Rupert asked, removing the kerchief from his face. 

"That's what we're here to find out," said Cable. "You see these marks?" he asked, pointing out various small fractures in the nearest skeleton. 

"Yes," Rupert said. "Are they teeth marks?" 

"No, Ko'raffs don't have teeth. They have raspy tongues, like cats. They lick the bones clean with 'em. Very efficient. Their maws are like vulture beaks, very strong, able to rip stuff apart. You know, once I saw one in the middle of eating and..." 

"Um, what about these marks?" Rupert said, quickly changing the subject. 

"Oh, yeah. Well, these aren't from the Ko'raff and these aren't from any demon I know. And, trust me, I know a lot of demons! I was hoping you could figure it out." 

"Me? What...how?" Rupert stammered. 

"Can't you sense it?" Mick said. "Christ, I can smell it in the room even with the Ko'raff musk all over." 

Rupert frowned, and then he felt it. The dank heaviness that hung in the air. The suffering. And the most frightening thing of all. The glee. The sheer exhultation of killing, of taking someone's life. The power. For a small moment, he remembered the power of killing. "There's evil here. Great evil." 

"That's where you come in," Mick said. "You've got your spells and things, right? Isn't there something you can cast to find out what happened here? There's probably still magical residue all over the place." 

"Yes...yes...there are spells which can reveal...if magic was used in a specific location. I've brought some books that might be helpful," Rupert said. "They're in the car." 

"Get them," Mick said. "We've got to find out what happened here." 

Rupert soon returned with a stack of books. He found the right spell and cast it. "Now," he said, placing the spellbook on a table. "This should work by shifting the magical residue to the visible light spectrum...Ah! There..." Rupert pointed out a sickly grayish light coming into view. 

"What's that color mean?" asked Mick. 

"Uh..." Rupert picked up the spellbook again. "The use of any of the Three Unforgivable Curses...Good Lord." 

"You're the magic expert, Giles. You've got to tell me what that means." 

"There are three spells in the Wizard world which are not meant to be used. Cruciatus, which causes intolerable pain to the victim; Imperius, which causes the victim to do whatever the caster wishes; and the Killing Curse. You can guess what that causes..." 

Mick nodded and said nothing. 

"Those fractures were probably caused by the Cruciatus Curse. And then the Killing Curse to finish them off." 

Mick shook his head. "Tortured and murdered. By Wizards...humans...I thought demons were bad but this..." 

"This is inhuman," Rupert said. "We've got to stop this. Whoever's done this is sure to do it again. Who were these people? Any information?" 

Mick rummaged through his pockets until he found his small notepad. He flipped it open. "Just what I got from the Council files. The house was owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Petrie. Mr. Douglas Petrie was a Wizard. He worked in the Ministry of Magic, high up in Muggle Relations, something like that. Mrs. Emilia Petrie, she was a Muggle. No magical talent. Their daughter Anna's away at Hogwarts. She's a fifth year Ravenclaw. What a pity..." 

Rupert's sighed. "Terrible thing to do," he agreed. "Wizards killing wizards...but why Mrs. Petrie as well? Why kill the Muggle? She can't defend herself, can't duel." 

"Perhaps we've discovered the work of a mad wizard who hates Muggles," Mick said. "Any chance of you figuring out what sort of wand cast these spells? It'd narrow the suspects I think." 

"Not with these spellbooks," Rupert said. "I'd need more powerful spells, and I'm not sure I can cast them with my meager power alone." 

Mick frowned at the bodies. "There's something missing here. Something about this whole things doesn't feel right." 

"A calling card," Rupert said. 

"That's it!" Mick said. "A calling card, something to identify the killer..." 

"No," Rupert said quietly as he picked up a small piece of paper from the floor. "A calling card." 

"Ah, right...what's it say?" 

Rupert squinted at the paper. "Nothing, there's a symbol though. A skull and serpent...Good Lord. I know this. It's a Dark symbol. The Dark Mark." 

"Sounds ominous," Mick said softly. 

"It's a great clue, nonetheless," Rupert said. "This narrows the suspects down a good deal. It's a Death Eater." 

"A what?" Mick asked. 

"A Death Eater. Things are going quite badly in the Wizarding world right now. There's talk of a powerful Dark Wizard named Voldemort. His followers are called Death Eaters. They bellieve that no one with Muggle blood should be allowed to practice magic. They're killing Wizards left and right. So, the Petries are just more of their victims..." 

"Genocide," Mick breathed quietly. 

"Madness," Rupert said. "Nothing but madness." 

"Didn't your cousin go to Hogwarts?" Mick asked. 

"She's already graduated, and married. And expecting a child soon." Rupert managed to smile. His little Lily had grown up, and he hadn't missed anything along the way. 

"You should keep an eye on her," Mick said. "She can't end up like this. She's Muggle-born. They're sure to get her. And her child as well." 

"Lily's strong," Rupert replied. "Stronger than any other person I know. Not just her magical powers, but her spirit. She's got more life in her than she knows what to do with. She'll make it." 

Mick made a non-commital grunt and headed for the door. "Well, we've figured out who's done this, so, it's time to leave." 

Rupert nodded and followed Mick out. He then remembered the phone call earlier in the day. His family was in danger. He was in danger. Did the caller mean Lily? Rupert made up his mind to visit Lily and James Potter out in Godric's Hollow. 


	9. Promises

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: Ha! congrats to the sharp-eyed reviewer who caught the Buffy crew reference! Sorry this took so long. Mid-terms and all. But it's Spring Break now, so yay! Anyway, don't complain about continuity. I know what I'm doing. _::grin::_

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox   
Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and   
Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

"I refuse to leave," Lily Potter said with conviction. She placed her hands on her swollen belly. "This child will be born here, in England." 

"But, Lily," Rupert said. "You've got to. We've...got to. He'll kill us...all of us if we don't. I've seen his work first hand..." 

"So have we," added James Potter. "We're Aurors. You seem to keep forgetting..." 

"Lily's safety will always be first and foremost in my mind," Rupert said. "I made a promise to protect her. I always will. So, Lily, please reconsider. It doesn't have to look like we're fleeing. Just a holiday, a month, two months, until this...this...Voldemort..." 

Lily winced. "No one enjoys hearing that name, Rupert." 

"Why shouldn't he say it?" James asked. "It's silly, getting worked up over a name. Do you think it'll conjure up the Dark Wizard himself? I'll say it if I want! Voldemort! There! His eyes and ears aren't everywhere..." 

"Yet," murmurred Lily. 

"If you won't leave England, I can't either," Rupert said. "Perhaps you can stay with a friend. That Remus or...or...Peter...yes...I trust Peter." 

James looked at Lily. It seemed as if they were having a secret conversation that Rupert wasn't allowed to listen in on. 

Rupert glanced at the pair. "What is it?" 

"There's something we haven't told you," Lily said. "It's important." 

James scowled. "Lily, please, he's a Muggle. He shouldn't know..." 

"I am Muggle-born," Lily said, her gaze steady. "Do you think of me any less? Will you think of our child any less?" 

"No, but..." James said. "We made an oath. Secrecy from all Muggles..." 

"Rupert is no ordinary Muggle!" Lily countered. "He's a Watcher. He already knows that you and the rest of the Marauders are illegal Animagi. Has he told anyone? No, he has not! He can be trusted, and I personally think the Council should be informed!" 

Rupert leaned back in his chair, hardly believing that Lily and James were arguing over his own integrity. "It's all right, Lily. Watcher or not, family or not, I'm not a part of your...your world. Magic does not run through my soul as it does in yours. I rely on books, not talent." 

"Oh, you mustn't belittle yourself like that!" Lily said. "It upsets me so. You're so strong, Rupert...and bright. The Council should consider themselves lucky to have you as a Watcher. I am proud to be related to you." 

James sighed. "Fine, if we should tell Rupert anything..." he paused for a long while, trying to put his words together. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he began. "As you Muggles have groups such as Watchers to protect your population from the Darkness, we have Aurors." 

"I know that much," Rupert said. 

"But," James continued. "These are not ordinary times in the Wizard world. He-who-must-not-be-named has control over our weak and gullible, as well as those who seek power for themselves. The Death Eaters have killed too many of us. Professor Dumbledore agrees, so he has put together a special group of allies. We are called The Order of the Phoenix. Our numbers are small, but together, we plan on stopping the Dark Wizard from claiming any more victims." 

"An admirable goal," Rupert said. "But does Dumbledore really believe he can defeat Volde--er, the Dark Wizard?" 

"Dumbledore has always kept his promises," Lily said. "I've no doubt he can lead us to victory. The Dark Wizard hasn't dared to infiltrate Hogwarts. He must be afraid of Dumbledore's power. The Order meets weekly at Hogwarts, but I haven't been able to attend the meetings lately because of...well..." she looked down at her stomach. "He's due in a fortnight or so now." 

Rupert blinked. "How do you know it's a he? More magic, I suppose?" 

Lily smiled. "No...just a mother's instinct..."   


* * *

"Harry Potter," Rupert said, holding a tiny bundle in his arms. "Such a common-sounding name." He frowned slightly. "I suppose you don't care a bit, do you?" he asked, addressing the newborn. 

"I don't think he minds at all," Lily said. She held out her arms, and Rupert gave Harry over to her. 

"You know, you weren't any older than this when I first met you," Rupert said. "Seems so long ago." 

"Speaking of family," Lily began. "How are Petunia and little Dudley doing?" The sisters hadn't seen each other since before Petunia married Vernon Dursley. 

Rupert gave a slight frown. "They're spoiling the baby. I don't think it's good for little Dudley, at all. He wants for nothing." 

"Petunia always wanted a family," Lily said. "She was overjoyed when she had a son before I did. I just hope she's happy." 

"I think she is," Rupert said. "She seemed content the last time I visited. Vernon doesn't like me too much. He doesn't like my job at the Museum, says working among old relics from the past is irrelevant. If he only knew...but I can't tell him the entire truth. " 

"Vernon doesn't like anyone, so don't feel too bad. You're in good company," Lily said. 

"When is James due back?" Rupert asked. 

"Hmmm, he might be a while. He's gone with Sirius and Peter to investigate some stirrings up in the north. They've heard that the giants are once again causing trouble. Obliviators are having a horrendous time trying to keep Muggles from spotting those huge creatures. Dumbledore suspects that the Dark Wizard must have allied with the giants. Dreadful! I hope Harry doesn't have to grow up in a world dominated by Darkness." 

"He won't," Rupert said. "The Order will see to that. And if all else fails, I'll protect him." 

"Rupert..." 

"He's your son Lily, your blood. I made a promise to protect you. That goes for Harry as well." 

"When did you promise that?" Lily asked. 

"The moment I first saw you, I knew...I knew that I had to keep you away from any danger. You were just so small and innocent. But now, you're a powerful witch, much more powerful in magic than I'll ever be. But still, I have this need to protect you." 

"And you feel the same way with Harry?" Lily said. 

"Of course!" Rupert said quickly. 

"If anything happens to us...if we succumb to the Dark Wizard," Lily said. "I'd want you to take care of Harry. I wouldn't entrust him to anyone else. Teach him what it means to be a Wizard, and what it means to be a Potter." 

Rupert nodded. "I promise, I will." 


	10. Climax

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: And now this is where this sort of deviates from official HP canon, but it's a fanfic, so who cares. :) Everyone, you knew this was coming, but this is my version of what happened that night, not JKR's. 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox   
Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and   
Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 10**

Rupert Giles crawled out of the sewers, rubbing his aching arm. "Why couldn't have I been a grocer, after all?" he grumbled to himself as he threw his weapons bag on the pavement. He leaned aganst the nearest building, still clutching his arm. If he were lucky, he'd only be nursing a sprain for the next week. If he were unlucky...well...broken arms heal eventually. The demon wasn't as bad as the Council claimed it to be...it was worse. 

"There's a bit of a problem in the sewers, Giles," Travers had said. "Mind if you investigate?" 

"A bit of a problem?" Rupert repeated under his breath. "Wonderful how we British have a talent for understandment..." 

He wondered how long he could keep this up, especially alone. As long as he lived in London, and didn't have a Slayer under his tutulage, he was under the direct orders of the Council. If he has to go and kill a 7 foot tall demon prowling the sewers under London, well, that's what he had to do. 

"Oh, Ripper, how you _reek_!" a voice called from behind. 

Rupert clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. He did not want to deal with this. Not tonight, not after he had almost gotten killed. "I don't have the strength for you, Rayne. Leave me..." 

"Mmmm?" Ethan Rayne slipped closer to Rupert. "What's that I hear? Ripper without the stregnth to beat me into a pulp? A cause for celebration, I think." 

"Just do your taunting, get it over with," Rupert grumbled. 

"I'm amazed, Ripper. You're still in England, after all that's been happening," Rayne said. "You're so close to getting killed, do you know that? Of course, it's too late for your precious cousin and her little family." 

Rupert turned to face Ethan. "Repeat that." 

"You heard me the first time, Ripper. Your ears aren't nearly as bad as your eyes." 

"What's going to happen to Lily and James? To Harry?" Rupert asked. 

"I tried to warn you. Don't ever say that Ethan Rayne is without...pity for others...you could have fled. It's much too late now." 

Rupert straightened to his full height. "Voldemort," he spat. "He's going to kill Lily? Is he?" Rupert lunged at Ethan, grabbing the man by his shirt collar. "Tell me!" 

"He's already in Godric's Hollow. Didn't take very long for my Master to find them, even with the Fidelius Charm on them." 

"And you found me just to gloat. You've had your fun, Ethan," Rupert said. "You've got a bit of humanity left in you, haven't you? A bit of mercy?" 

"Perhaps..." 

"Godric's Hollow. Take me there. NOW!" Rupert yelled, his good hand close to strangling Rayne. 

"But Rupert, I can't do an Apparation spell. I'm not a Wizard, I'm a Muggle. And even if I did do a similar spell, there's be no guarantee we'd end up where you'd want us to end up." 

"_DO IT_!" 

"Damn it all, Ripper," Ethan said. "I'll never understand your sentimentality." He muttered a spell under his breath, which sent him and Rupert to Godric's Hollow, right in front of the Potter house. 

"LILY!" Rupert bellowed at the top of his lungs. He threw himself at the front door, but he found it locked. "Dammit!" He began banging on the door with his good shoulder. "Rayne!" 

"I can't open locked doors, Ripper. I'm not that powerful..." Rayne said, with a small tinge of regret. "But seeing you scurry around like this is worth being here, do you know that?" 

"LILY! LILY!" Rupert yelled again, banging on the front door with all his might. "Dammit it all, Voldemort! I'll _kill _you myself! I swear to GOD, I will!" 

There was a sudden crackling in the air surrounding the house. Rupert stepped back, stumbling onto the porch. 

"Now, you'll see," Ethan said. "What my Master is capable of." 

"No...the Killing Curse?" Rupert said, half-yelling and half-sobbing. 

Sickly green light began to eminate from the upper bedroom window. Rupert knew that this was little Harry's room. Lily will die. James will die, and Harry will die. And all because Rupert wasn't there to protect them. The crackling grew louder and louder, until Rupert had to cover his ears to protect them from the sound. 

An intense humming that shuddered through Rupert's eardrums shook through the house. 

Then nothing. 

"Master, you've done it!" Ethan exclaimed. After a minute, Ethan's triumphant smile mellowed into a grin. "Master?" 

Rupert finally managed to kick down the door. "LILY!" he shouted as he entered the eerily silent house. 

James lay nearest the doorway, crumpled up like a ragdoll someone has carelessly tossed aside. 

"James," Rupert said, unsure of what to do. "Lily!" Rupert rushed up the stairs, knowing by memory where Harry's room was. He stopped at the doorway, staring at the horrific sight before him. 

Near Harry's crib lay the body of Lily. 

"No, dear Lord, no...no no no no..." Rupert croaked as he rushed over to her side. "Oh, Lily...I'm sorry...I...I've failed you...you and Harry...I've failed you..." he said as he knelt by the prone form. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Forgive me...forgive me..." 

A weak noise from nearby stirred Rupert out of his teary-eyed trance. "Ha-harry?" he whispered, not believing what he had just heard. He winced, rolling aside Lily's body to get nearer to the noise. 

There lay little Harry. 

He was alive. 

"Harry!" Rupert exlaimed, scooping up the baby into his arms and getting up. "I've got to take you from this place. I don't know where Voldemort is, but he can't be far. Oh...your forehead," he frowned, staring at the fresh wound which marked Harry's face. "Poor thing..." He rummanged through his pockets and found a clean handkerchief, which he used to clean the wound. 

Rayne appeared at the door. "I...I can't find him," he said, half-frantic. 

"Who?" Rupert said. 

"Master...He's...he's not here...I cannot sense...the Mark..." he checked the tattoo on his forearm. It seemed to be fading into his skin. 

"Your precious Master," Rupert said. "Gone...It must be Harry's doing." 

"That...that boy? Defeat the all-powerful Voldemort? Impossible!" 

"He is alive, is he not? And your Master seems to have vanished. You cannot sense him, his presence inside you has faded," Rupert said. 

"NO!" Ethan growled. "Voldemort is not dead! He is _beyond_ death!" 

The walls surrounding them began to rumble and shake, just as Ethan's faith in Voldemort began to waver. 

"Ethan, what are you doing?" Rupert said, clutching Harry closer to his chest. "You'll bring this entire house down on top of us!" 

"Do you really think I care?!" Ethan said, madness quivering in his voice. "If Voldemort is dead, where does that leave me? I was his _favorite_! I was the _first_!" 

"Dammit, Rayne!" Rupert said. "Stay and be crushed, if that's what you wish! I'm bringing Harry back to London with me." He ran past Ethan, down the stairs and out of the house just before the building began to collapse. He watched as the house fell in on itself. There was no time to try and remove Lily and James before the disaster. "Oh, Lily...forgive me." he said, one last time. 

Another rumble from the sky caught Rupert's attention. A motorcycle cut through the night sky landing a few yards away from Rupert. "Sirius!" Rupert breathed, recognizing the bike as belonging to one of the Potters' closest friends. He hurried to Sirius' side. "You're too late. James and Lily are..." 

"I know," the tall man said sullenly. "Once I knew the Fidelius Charm was broken, I rushed over here, but I see I'm too late...The damage to the house...there's no doubt..." 

"The house? Not Voldemort's doing." Rupert said. "I thought you were their Secret Keeper! How did he find them? How?" 

Sirius shook his head. "It was last minute. I decided to have Peter be Secret Keeper." 

"Peter...so he...?" 

"Yes, he's betrayed us," Sirius sighed. "He was the informant for the Dark Wizard all along. Ah, this is my fault!" he sighed. 

"Voldemort seems to have been defeated, and Harry's alive, Sirius. I don't know how or why, but Harry is still alive." 

Sirius managed a small smile. "Yes, at least Harry's still alive, but..." he said with regret, "Who will take care of him?" 

"I will...Lily asked me to. I promised her that I would..." 

"Really?" Sirius said, amused. 

"What's wrong with that?" 

"It's about as wrong as me taking care of him," Sirius said. "And I'm his _godfather_..." 

Rupert did not enjoy Sirius' tone of voice. "Why shouldn't I or you take care of him? We're family..." 

"And that is why we mustn't take care of him. Voldemort may be gone, but his followers aren't," Sirius said. "Harry must be protected. Harry must be kept as far away from magic and the Wizard world as possible." 

"But...I'm a Muggle," Rupert began. 

"Giles," Sirius said. "You're a Watcher! Your ultimate distiny in life is to train the Slayer, not to harbor the one person who could defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! What if you're called to some far-away place, somewhere that's no place for a small child? And what if you are put in danger, hmmm? What if you die? What then?" 

"I promised Lily," Rupert said again. 

"A promise is no good if you end up dead," Sirius said. 

"I keep my promises, or at least, I try to..." Rupert said, looking back at the ruins of the Potter house. "But...if Harry...dies because of me..." 

"You see my point?" Sirius asked. 

Rupert nodded. "Lily's sister, Petunia, she's about as Muggle as they come. Harry will be safe there with the Dursleys." 


	11. Full Circle

**Title**: Dark Destinies 

**Author**: KuroNeko 

**Distribution**: Email me! Click on the Author link for my addy! 

**Rating**: PG 

**Feedback**: Constructive criticism and praise are welcomed; flames, again, will be happily ignored 

**Notes**: It's over! ::sniff:: ::sniff: This is the final chapter of Dark Destinies. Thanks for reading everyone. The dialogue between Buffy and Giles comes directly from the episode "Tabula Rasa". Ummm...spoilers for season 5 and 6 of Buffy. And keep your eyes peeled for a sequel! :) 

**Disclaimer**: Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created by Joss Whedon and are property of Fox   
Television. Characters and situations from the Harry Potter series are property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and   
Warner Bros. Studios. Grrrrr, arrgh. 

**Chapter 11**

Rupert Giles saw very little of Harry Potter in the ensuing years after Voldemort's defeat. Every July, he would send birthday presents to Harry. Every Christmas, he sent Harry a book. Rupert always suspected that Harry never received any of these gifts. He began to wonder if allowing Harry to stay with the Dursleys was really a good idea after all. Not only were Vernon and Petunia thoroughly Muggle in every way, they had taught their son, Dudley, the same closed-minded ideas. 

Eight years after the defeat of Lord Voldemort, Rupert received a new posting from the Council. He was to travel to California. The Slayer had been located there and was living near the Hellmouth. He was to be her Watcher. With little hesitation, he set out for Number 4 Privet Drive. He rang the doorbell, shifting uneasily from foot to foot and pondering what to say once the door opened. 

Petunia's sharp beak of a nose poked out of the doorway. "Oh...it's you," she said, not attempting to hide her disgust. She did not believe that this was the same Rupie who used to play with her all the time. This Rupert Giles was as mad as...well...Lily and James were. "What do you want?" 

"Petunia," Rupert said. "'I'd like to see Harry, if you don't mind." 

"He's at school," Petunia said. 

"But, erm...it's Sunday." Rupert replied. "Please, I must...I must see him...I'm relocating, to America. I may never see him again. It's...It won't take long." 

"No." 

"Petunia, don't be unreasonable! He doesn't even have to know that I'm related to him. I just need to see him. I've been assigned to the Slayer. The place I'm going to lies right on the Hellmouth. It could be very dangerous! I could...I might not survive." 

"Why do you insist on talking about such nonsense?" Petunia muttered. "The 'Hellmouth'? The 'Slayer'. Fairy tales, useless fairy tales!" 

"Petunia," said Rupert desperately. "Please, if I don't see him again..." 

"Leave. Never come here again. He mustn't know. He'll never know his past!" Petunia said. 

"And what will happen when he receives his letter from Hogwarts, hmmm? You know his name has been on their lists since the day he was born. Are you going to lock him up here? You can't...they won't let you." 

"Vernon will think of something. He always does," Petunia said. "Now, Rupert, please leave before I shall have to call the police." 

"Petunia," Rupert sighed. "Fine...just, take care of Harry. I promised Lily and..." 

"Goodbye, Rupert," Petunia said quietly as she shut the door. 

Rupert stood at the front door of the house for a long while, wondering if Harry was actually in there. He then turned and walked away, already planning out what he needed to take with him to America. 

* * *

The Slayer was not what Rupert expected at all. She was headstrong, stubborn, and often acted rashly. Rupert realized that he could not rely on the Slayers Handbook for much of anything. It was also troubling that the Slayer had garnered a close circle of friends. In all recorded history, the Slayer had worked alone, under the supervision of her Watcher. But Rupert soon learned about the power of friendship, and how the Slayer was actually made stronger by the support she received from all who knew her. 

When Buffy sacrificed herself in order to save the world from Glory, Rupert knew that there was nothing linking him to America. Anya ran the magic Box better than even he could; Willow and Tara were powerful enough in witchcraft to handle any sort of problem that still lingered around the Hellmouth. And even that idiot Xander had grown up enough to learn some responsibility. With Joyce gone as well...Sunnydale did not need its Watcher anymore. 

Rupert moved back to London and managed to find a small flat similar to the one he'd left when he moved to America. He meant to tie up loose ends here, try to get back in good graces with the Council, perhaps work under them again. 

And then the call came. 

Willow had done an unspeakable act. She had actually called Buffy back from the dead. 

Rupert did not approve of that. Delving into the forces of life and death meant succumbing to the Darkness sooner or later. He knew it, saw it personally, experienced it. He returned because he felt he had to protect Buffy once more. 

Then he realized that he had to leave. 

"I've taught you all I can about being a Slayer," Rupert told Buffy. "And your mother taught you what you needed to know about life. You...you're not going to trust that until you're forced to stand alone." 

"But why now?" Buffy asked. "Now that you know where I've been, what I'm going through?" 

"Now more than ever," Rupert replied. "The temptation to give up is going to be overwhelming, and I can't let..." 

"So I won't! No giving up. You can be here, and I can still be strong." 

"Buffy, I've thought this over...and over. I believe it's the right thing to do." 

"You're wrong." Buffy stormed out of the room, leaving Rupert alone with his thoughts. There was something else he had to do. A promise he had to keep. Buffy was an adult, fully capable of taking care of herself, even if she didn't think she was ready. Rupert knew she was. And yet...there were...others... 

* * *

The Hogwarts Express chugged along the northern countryside, carrying its magically-gifted students towards the famouse school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry and Ron, who had met each other at King's Cross, once again shared a compartment together. The rest of the fifth years sat in nearby cars, happily catching up on the gossip they had missed out on during the summer. 

"Who d'you think'll be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ron asked Harry. 

Harry shrugged. "No one can be as bad as that faker, Crouch..." 

Ron winced, remembering the Mad-Eye Moody incident and not wanting to have something as bad as what happened during the Triwizard Tournament happen again. 

"I heard that he's a Muggle," Hermione's head popped into the compartment. 

"Well, no one asked _you_!" said Ron. 

"It's all alright. Come on in, Hermione," Harry said, gesturing over to the girl. "You said that he's a Muggle?" 

"That's what everyone on the train's been saying," Hermione said. "He's a Muggle and he's dressed in Muggle clothes. Nothing magical about him. He doesn't have a wand or anything. He's in the teachers' car right now." 

"Perhaps he's an Auror who's lived among Muggles so long that he's adopted their ways," Harry suggested. 

"A wizard has to have a wand," Ron said. "Always..." 

"--ry! Harry! Harry!" Neville Longbottom shouted, searching every car on the train for Harry Potter. "Oh, _there_ you are, Harry! Look, that new Muggle teacher...he wants to meet you! Oh, and have you seen Trevor? I've lost him again..." he added sheepishly. "Along with my wand..." 

"Famous even in the Muggle world, eh Harry?" Ron grinned. 

Harry remembered a time not too long ago when Ron was so jealous of Harry's fame that he wouldn't even speak to him. Harry was glad that those times were over. "Um, alright..." Harry said, getting up. 

Harry made his way towards the teachers' car, while everyone he passed greeted him by name. He finally managed to get into the teachers' car. There weren't that many professors seated there, since many Hogwarts instructors lived at the school during the summer or just took other means of transportation instead. He searched the car for an unfamiliar face, and it didn't take long to find the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was indeed, dressed in Muggle clothes, all in tweed like a proper British professor. Harry thought that the man wouldn't have looked out of place at Oxford. Harry approached the seated man, clearing his throat, since the man seemed to be preoccupied with the passing scenery outside. 

"Hmmmm, oh!" the man grinned as he got up. "You...you look so much like your father..." 

Harry's eyes brightened. "You knew my father?" 

"Quite well," the man said. "But you have your mother's eyes...I knew Lily Potter very very well," the man said wistfully. He extended his hand. "I am Rupert Giles, and I'm your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." 

Harry shook the man's hand. "Professor Giles?" 

"Just...Giles...wll be fine," the man said. 

Harry nodded. He clearly liked this new teacher. "Giles, how did you know my parents? You're a Muggle..." 

"Harry," Giles said. "Professor Dumbledore thinks that the time is right for you to know a few things more about your past. Please, sit," Giles said, pointing to the seat beside his as he sat down. 

"What can you tell me?" Harry asked as he settled down beside Giles. 

"Things about your mother, mostly," Giles said. "And a few things about you as well. Along with some things you might not know about Muggles." Giles grinned at Harry's surprised expression. "You know Harry, not all of us Muggles are blind to the world of magic..." 

**THE END**


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